CRVonFange

I am disappointed with this decision to remove benchmarks from the game because everyone plays the game differently. Some people will never cache outside of the United States while others may never cache in the United States. Some people prefer a particular type of cache and aren't interested in other types of caches, challenges or events. Some people like easy park and grab caches while others like high D/T caches. Some people make plans to attend Mega Events while others will never attend a Mega and meet any challenges associated with doing so. Honestly how are benchmarks that different from Adventure Labs, there are some people that have no interest in Adventure Labs while others will likely only complete Adventure Labs and get away from having to find and handle a cache container, let alone sign a moldy logbook. To me, the "hands-off" feature of Adventure Labs would also make benchmarking popular if they were easier to log. I personally have a backlog of almost 500 benchmarks that have not been logged because it is time consuming to add multiple pictures and descriptive text in the log (since a cut and paste generic trip log isn't really appropriate). I personally don't care for Waymarking, because there are multiple waymarks of the same thing and it seems that anything from a benchmark to a historical marker/building to the gas station on the corner can be a waymark so I really don't see the point. I wish we had more information about what will be purged from the system/game and what we will see and have access to going forward. Will benchmarks still be included in our statistics? Will we be able to see what benchmarks we have logged? Will we be able to edit or add photos to those benchmarks that we have previously logged? Will the challenge caches requiring benchmarks be archived and locked so that they can't even be logged or will those of us who have signed the logbook and written a note be allowed to log the smiley if we have met the challenge? I also wish there was a definite date not sometime after/between. Also why can't the date be further into the future, more than just a few weeks, to allow for those that need to log benchmarks and benchmark challenges to do so before it is too late. I may just have to resort to the simple "I found it while in the area caching" without any pictures to have any hope of eliminating my backlog of benchmarks. As far as missing or destroyed benchmarks, I personally don't see a big difference between hunting for a benchmark and hunting for a cache that has gone missing or not been found in months or years but is still listed in the game when the person that hid it is no longer active or has not been on the geocaching site in years. But I also don't appreciate when a reviewer archives a cache at the first DNF log or without at least contact the owner via the message center and via email as has happened to me. Why not have a separate app for logging benchmarks, waymarks, etc. that would simplify the process and allow for a more streamlined database that archives benchmarks that have been destroyed or lost to time but allows for those that want to participate in benchmarking to do so? On a different note - I find that all of the restrictions on new challenge caches make them less appealing and more difficult to find creative challenges. How many challenges to find the oldest active cache in 5 states do we really need?